The old woman was taken aback, as even the general was asking questions now. “General, it’s not that this old woman is unwilling to make the exchange, but rather, there’s just no stock left.”
“No stock? What do you mean? How can we not have something that’s listed on the exchange interface?” Xia Yan demanded.
The old woman tried to explain, “The particular items was already exchanged for, but right when the exchange occurred, the massive attack on all five array bases was launched, and the people who made the purchase perished during the attack. Still, they purchased the items, so the general of the fifth array base ordered the deceased’s family to be contacted and the items to be given to them. Their family has not arrived to collect the deceased’s rewards yet, so the items remain listed in the exchange interface. Still, I cannot trade them to this junior, and this junior’s achievements are far from sufficient for him to exchange his points for a Root of Intelligence.”
Lu Yin had actually wanted to exchange his battlefield merit points for Root of Intelligence. He had never expected to see it in the Perennial World.
“I’ll get it for you,” Qing Chen offered. He had accumulated too many battlefield merit points over the years, and he still had plenty left even after trading some for the Cloudguard Robes. Not to mention, he intended to take Long Qi down to the Lower Realm to hunt down the anteaters after this. Once those creatures were found, all of the merit points that Long Qi had borrowed would be returned to Qing Chen. On top of that, at this moment, Qing Chen was more than happy to offer some additional merit points to Long Qi.
Lu Yin questioned the story that the old woman had woven for them. “Can you prove it?”
He truly did not trust her.
The old woman was put in a difficult position.
Xia Yan spoke up, “I’ll reach out to Wang Jue, the fifth array base’s general.”
Lu Yin waited.
After a while, Xia Yan lowered his communication crystal and stated, “It’s all true.”
Lu Yin regretted that there was nothing he could do, but he could not steal from a family who had just lost a loved one.
“What did you want to trade for?” Long Laogui was curious.
“A Root of Intelligence.”
“A Root of Intelligence?” Everyone present was surprised.
The truth was that Lu Yin himself had been shocked to see a Root of Intelligence listed in the exchange interface. He had never thought that he would be able to find a Root of Intelligence in the Perennial World.
Lu Yin explained, “Actually, this junior did not intend to use the Root of Intelligence for myself, but rather to help me find the terror ants’ natural predator.”
Qing Chen’s eyes flickered. “You want to use a Root of Intelligence to remember what you saw back then?”
Lu Yin nodded. “It happened during my first trip to the Lower Realm, and I only vaguely remember the route that we took. In particular, given the circumstances, I really do not clearly remember the creature that I saw devouring the terror ants, so I would like to stimulate my memory with a Root of Intelligence to try to uncover some additional clues.”
This was not something that could be dismissed. Originally, Qing Chen had no desire to pay any attention to what Lu Yin intended to exchange his battlefield merit points for, but given these circumstances, Qing Chen looked over at Xia Yan.
Xia Yan said, “Long Qi, if this is your goal, then I’ll do my best to help you get what you need.”
He raised his hand to access his communication crystal, but he really did not know who to contact for this matter.
Lu Yin quickly objected, “Commander, please don’t disturb the family of the person who died.”
Xia Yan smiled. “Don’t worry. I have no intentions of touching that particular Root of Intelligence unless the family themselves take the initiative to offer it to you themselves. No one will trouble them. Do you think that that’s the only Root of Intelligence here?”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up; were there other Roots of Intelligence in this Perennial World? Did that mean that Progenitor Hui had descendants in the Perennial World?
Xia Yan was not the only person making calls, as even Long Laogui had started contacting people.
After a while, Xia Yan said, “I’ve already spoken to someone, and they still have a Root of Intelligence, so I can get that one for you.”
Lu Yin was thrilled. “Thank you, General Xia Yan.”
“However, the current owner has their own conditions, which is that he wants to have a face-to-face conversation with you. He is currently on the third array base, and he can be here in two days,” Xia Yan stated.
“Then we will wait here,” Qing Chen said.
Two days soon passed, and Lu Yin saw the person who possessed a Root of Intelligence. Unexpectedly, he was a young man who walked with a limp.
Lu Yin was not alone, as Qing Chen, and Long Laogui were all surprised as well. They all knew about the Root of Intelligence’s background and that each one was a treasure that had been left behind by Progenitor Hui. When observing the entire battlefield, every item that was exchanged for merit points was a valuable treasure, and those who traded for them were all powerhouses. Thus, who could have expected that the owner of this Root of Intelligence was such a person, especially since he was nothing more than an Explorer.
“Xiao- Xiao Can greets the general and his seniors,” the young man bowed respectfully as he greeted the powerhouses. He was pale and clearly either malnourished or suffering from a terrible injury. His looks were quite common, but his eyes were alert and wary, almost paranoid.
Xia Yan softly asked, “The Root of Intelligence was from you?”
Xiao Can respectfully answered, “Yes.”
“Do you have more?” Xia Yan pressed.
Xiao Can replied, “I have another one. It is a family heirloom that was left by our ancestors.”
Even though Xia Yan felt a bit curious about who Xiao Can’s ancestors were and why this youth had a Root of Intelligence, it was not proper to pry into such matters.
Xiao Can looked up. “Might I ask who needs the Root of Intelligence?”
“Me,” Lu Yin said. He was staring at Xiao Can, hoping to see some of the Hui family’s features on the young man’s face, but Lu Yin ended up disappointed. This Xiao Can looked nothing like Progenitor Hui’s descendants, though a great deal of time had passed, and it was perfectly normal for such visible traits to fade away.
Xiao Can bowed to Lu Yin. “My lord, the Root of Intelligence is a treasure that has been passed down my family, and my lord should be aware of such an item’s value. To begin with, I used one root to pay for the protection of the third array base’s general, and I was personally promised that my safety would be ensured regarding any matter related to this second one.”
Lu Yin smiled. “There’s no need for you to say such things. No one will force you to hand over your Root of Intelligence. We were told that you have some conditions that you would like to put forward.”
Xiao Can smirked. “Yes, yes. My conditions are very simple: I want to leave this battlefield.”
Lu Yin’s brows rose high, while Xia Yan’s gaze narrowed in on the youth. “How long have you been on this battlefield for?”
“Three years.”
“Three years is a long time. How many merit points have you accumulated?” Xia Yan continued his questions.
Xiao Can’s face grew even paler. “No- I have no merit points.”
Xia Yan’s voice lost its friendly tone. “So, by paying a Root of Intelligence, you bought three years of safety and hid behind the third array base’s general?”
“It’s five years. I traded it for five years of safety,” Xiao Can corrected. He carefully observed Xia Yan before continuing to explain, saying, “After five years have passed and the agreed upon time has expired, this subordinate intends to use another Root of Intelligence to trade for enough merit points to leave this battlefield. If my lord wants this Root of Intelligence, then naturally, my condition is to allow this subordinate to leave the battlefield.”
Lu Yin was unable to agree to such a condition, so he looked over at Xia Yan.
Xia Yan replied, “With the merit points that can be gained for offering up a Root of Intelligence, one person can be allowed to leave this battlefield, though they must be verified to not be a traitor.”
“No, I’m definitely not a traitor, and you can confirm that.” Xiao Can was overjoyed. He had believed that he would need to wait another two years before being able to accomplish his goal. He had intended to spend five years and two Roots of Intelligence to leave the battlefield, so the current conditions were much better. Someone was offering him battlefield merit points for his root, which was a better alternative to selling it.
Far too many people wished to leave the battlefield, and Xiao Can was just another such person. Compared to Xiao Can, the Root of Intelligence held far greater value.
Lu Yin looked at Qing Chen, who nodded.
“Alright, I’ll use my merit points to get you off of this battlefield,” Lu Yin agreed.
Xiao Can was ecstatic. “Thank you, sir!”
With the transaction finalized, Qing Chen was finally able to take Lu Yin and Xiao Can away from the battlefield. Lu Yin knew that he would be taken straight to the Lower Realm to hunt for the anteaters, which also meant that he would not be able to return to Huaiyuan Gate for the time being.
Also, he could not use the Root of Intelligence on the battlefield, as an attack could be launched at any moment.
“This subordinate thanks the general for watching over him while on the battlefield. Some day in the future, this subordinate will definitely return to the battlefield to defend humanity from our ancient enemies.” Before leaving, Lu Yin solemnly bowed to Xia Yan.
Xia Yan sighed. “That day is not far away, and you’d better return as an Envoy. I look forward to when that happens.”
Lu Yin was somber as he answered, “Understood.”
He then turned to face Long Laogui and respectfully bowed to the old man. “This junior bids senior farewell.”
Long Laogui nodded. “While you are in the Lower Realm, I will return to the Higher Realm. I have already told Long Ke to enter your name into the main family’s genealogy.”
“This junior understands.”
Although Lu Yin had only spent a few months at the second array base, he had gone through a lot. He had nearly died, and he had also learned a great deal more about his Lu family, not to mention the Qiming family, the All-Dao family, and even his own past. He had been found by Shaman God, which was temporarily benefiting him, as Shaman God would certainly work to make sure that Lu Yin returned to the Fifth Mainland, as that would complete Shaman God’s scheme.
Lu Yin felt that he would be safe not only in the Perennial World, but also after he returned to the Fifth Mainland, as the Neohuman Alliance would watch over him. Even though Lu Yin’s safety was a part of a plot to undermine the entire human race, he still had to follow along with it for the time being.
He believed that he would absolutely find an opportunity to ruin Shaman God’s scheme, and so, he would continue waiting for that moment.
Before long, Lu Yin and Xiao Can moved out of the strip of dust and reached the edge of the Tree Realm after using a teleportation device. Then saw many cultivators exiting the Tree Realm, each one nervous or excited as they made their way towards the various array bases. Most people looked at the departing individuals with admiration, as it was clear that these people had earned the privilege to leave.
After arriving at the border of the Tree Realm, both Lu Yin and Xiao Can were checked to see if they were attempting to sneak any terror ants into the Perennial World. Even Qing Chen was forced to undergo an inspection as there were no exceptions. The individual standing guard over the Tree Realm was another Semi-Progenitor.
There were many Semi-Progenitors in the Perennial World, and the enemies possessed more Semi-Progenitors than the Twelve Marquises. It was just that only Semi-Progenitors who had reached a certain level of power qualified to be one of those elite twelve.
Suddenly, Lu Yin thought of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas; was it possible that they were only awarded to Progenitors who had achieved a specific level of strength as well?
The Nine Mountains and Eight Seas did not necessarily represent nine Progenitors. Rather, they represented Progenitors who had achieved a certain level of power. During that glorious era in the past, had there only been nine?
The more Lu Yin thought about this possibility, the more likely he felt that it was true. After all, he had already learned about seven Progenitors in the Perennial World, not to mention the Ancestor Python and the legendary eagle up above the Mother Tree’s canopy. That made for nine Progenitor-level powerhouses, but was it that easy to reach the same heights that humanity had reached during their golden era? That was impossible, and Cai Shu would not have become so emotional about such a thing unless there was a vast discrepancy.
“Let’s leave.” Lu Yin suddenly heard Qing Chen’s voice.
Lu Yin looked back towards the battlefield. When he had first arrived, he had been assaulted by the pungent smell of blood, watched a distant planet shatter, and seen the ground crack and then reform due to an overwhelming power. At that time, Lu Yin had not known if he would be able to leave this place alive.
Xiao Can could not wait to return to the Perennial World, and his face betrayed the excitement and joy he felt at the prospect of enjoying the rest of his life.
As the three men stepped out of the Tree Realm, they entered an empty space with a vast distance between the ground below and the sky above.
When they looked up, they saw that the sky was dim, as the light here was blocked off by the branches of the Mother Tree. Still, this place was much brighter than the battlefield, and the air smelled fresh.
Before leaving the battlefield, Lu Yin and Xiao Can had reached an agreement, but Lu Yin still looked over at Xiao Can. “If you still have any more Roots of Intelligence that you can sell me, we can easily negotiate the price.”
Xiao Can smiled dryly. “No, that’s impossible. I only ever had two roots. Otherwise, I would have long since left the battlefield by turning in a Root of Intelligence.”
This was certainly true, and it had already been confirmed that Xiao Can only had two Roots of Intelligence, but were those really his only two roots?
Regardless, there was nothing that Lu Yin could do to force the matter. “If that’s the case, then we’ll leave matters here. Take care, brother.”
Xiao Can nodded. “We’ll part ways here, so I’ll be saying goodbye.”
He then turned and bowed to Qing Chen and Lu Yin before moving to leave.
“Wait,” Lu Yin suddenly called out.
Qing Chen looked over at the youth.
Xiao Cun hesitated and turned around. He nervously stared at Lu Yin, and asked with a dry voice, “My lord, is there anything else that you needed?”
Lu Yin smiled gently and gave Xiao Can the information of his communication crystal. “If you end up in any trouble in the future, go ahead and give me a call. After all, we can be considered comrade-in-arms, so you’re welcome to reach out for help.”
Xiao Can quickly recorded the information down. “Thank you, my lord. In that case, may I take my leave now?”
Lu Yin made a dismissive gesture, and Xiao Can quickly left.
